The hottest player in the Cubs’ system last week was shortstop Luis Verdugo of the Cubs 2 team in Mesa. He went 12-for-24 last week with four home runs and 14 RBI. He’s helping to carry the team in the push for the final playoff spot in the Arizona Rookie League. The 18-year-old from Mexico has had a challenging two years in the Cubs’ system and now looks to be putting it all together.
Basic Info
Weight – 172
Bats – Right
Throws – Right
Age – 18
ETA – 2023
The Cubs signed Verdugo out of Baja California in 2017. That was the last year the Cubs were under penalties imposed by MLB for splurging in 2015. Yet, Verdugo‘s career did not start in the Dominican Summer League in 2018, instead he went to Mesa. At the end of his first season, Baseball America’s Bill Mitchell ranked him as one of the top 20 Prospects in the Arizona Rookie League despite putting up horrible numbers. For the year, he hit .193 with 4 home runs and 20 RBIs. But if you break it down by month, you can see why Mitchell really liked Verdugo. In August of last year, he hit .265 for the month with an on-base percentage of .333.
Heading into 2019, Verdugo probably had a chance to make it to Eugene‘s roster, but with Luis Vasquez directly in his way, The Cubs decided to keep Verdugo in Mesa where his bat could hopefully catch up with his glove and arm.
In June, Verdugo still struggled somewhat hitting just .212. July was a little better as he hit .261 with a .323 OBP.
However, he’s really turned it on in August and every night last week was “Luis Verdugo Night.” For this month, he will likely win Cub Central’s Hitter of the Month and he could even win the Cubs’ very own Player of the Month award. Heading into today, he’s hitting .403 with a .449 OBP. He also has 5 homers and he’s driven in 23. His OPS is 1.171.
When 2020 begins, it’s going to be interesting to see where Verdugo lands.. He will be 19 and he could be in either Eugene or South Bend. Considering who is in front of him in the system, odds are he ends up in Eugene. If something, God forbid, should befall one of the middle Infielders in South Bend, Verdugo should be number one on the speed dial.
Cubs Central 
[…] I last wrote about Verdugo, he was right smack dab in the middle of a scintillating 2019 season in the Arizona Rookie League. At the end of that season we want a hitting. 305 and drove in 38 runs and 53 games. It looks like […]
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